Yoggie is a company I was not familiar with prior to this year's CES. We spoke with Yoggie both at CES: Unveiled and on the show floor to get a better understanding of exactly who they are and what they do.

Yoggie Security Systems is the developer of the world's first hardware-based computer security solution. The whole goal behind Yoggie is to eliminate software-based security solutions and move those off of your computer. Doing so, according to Yoggie, has several advantages.

Upon first glance, the Yoggie Gatekeeper Pico USB drive looks just like any other USB flash device. But, aesthetics are the only thing this USB-key shares with other flash drives. The Yoggie Gatekeeper Pico is a full computer crammed inside this tiny USB device, running a Linux-based 520 MHz Intel processor with 128 MB of memory, 128 MB of flash storage and 8 MB of read-only storage. All of this is designed to run 12 built-in security applications, which are listed below.

Once the Gatekeeper is installed, it establishes an encrypted SSL connection to Yoggie's servers every hour to check for an updated threat profile and download it to the device. This profile is used to update the 12 security applications. Much like traditional security software, you are charged a subscription fee for Yoggie's services.

As of writing, the Gatekeeper Pico retails for $179.00 with a full three year subscription included (offer expires March 31, 2008, while supplies last). More detailed specifications and information will be available when a review sample arrives in the near future.